What a wake window is
A wake window is the time your baby is awake between sleeps. It starts when they wake up and ends when you put them down for the next nap. Pediatrician Kristin Barrett, MD, of Cleveland Clinic describes the usual ranges below, and notes that they get longer with time: a newborn may barely get through a feed and a diaper change, while an older baby has time to eat, play and get a fresh diaper.
| Baby's age | Typical wake window |
|---|---|
| Birth to 1 month | 30 minutes to 1 hour |
| 1 to 3 months | 1 to 2 hours |
| 3 to 4 months | 1¼ to 2½ hours |
| 5 to 7 months | 2 to 4 hours |
| 7 to 10 months | 2½ to 4½ hours |
| 10 to 12 months | 3 to 6 hours |
Wake windows are guidance from pediatric practice, not a medical standard, and babies vary from day to day and nap to nap. Learn your baby's sleepy cues (yawning, rubbing their eyes, blinking more or staring off) and put them down a little before those cues usually appear.
How much sleep a baby needs
Total sleep in 24 hours, naps included. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine's consensus, endorsed by the AAP, starts at 4 months because younger babies vary too widely; for newborns, the National Sleep Foundation's range is the usual reference.
| Age | Sleep per 24 hours | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 months | 14 to 17 hours | National Sleep Foundation |
| 4 to 12 months | 12 to 16 hours | AASM |
| 1 to 2 years | 11 to 14 hours | AASM |
| 3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 hours | AASM |
How many naps by age
In the first year, babies can nap up to four times a day, fewer as their wake windows stretch. In a study of naps from 6 months to 7 years, a pattern of two naps a day was well established by 9 to 12 months and one afternoon nap by 15 to 24 months (Weissbluth, 1995). Cleveland Clinic puts the move to one nap at around 18 to 24 months and says children usually stop napping between 3 and 6: about 60% still nap at 4, 30% at 5 and fewer than 10% at 6.
How the sample day is built
For babies 3 to 12 months old, the calculator starts at your baby's wake-up time and adds one wake window (shorter, middle or longer, within the range for their age), then a nap of the length you choose, and repeats. It stops adding naps when not even the shortest wake window for the age would fit before your latest bedtime, and never plans more than four. Bedtime is one wake window after the last nap, or your latest bedtime if that comes first. It then adds up naps and night sleep so you can compare the day with the recommended hours. Babies under 3 months get their wake window only: they don't follow a fixed schedule yet.
Safe sleep for every nap
The AAP's safe sleep basics apply to naps as much as nights:
- Place your baby on their back for all naps and at night.
- Use a firm, flat sleep surface: a crib, bassinet, portable crib or play yard that meets CPSC safety standards. Any surface inclined more than 10 degrees isn't safe for sleep.
- Keep soft objects and loose bedding (pillows, blankets, bumper pads, toys) out of the sleep area.
- If your baby falls asleep in a car seat, stroller, swing, carrier or sling, move them to a firm, flat surface on their back as soon as you can.
On long drives, plan breaks so your baby can get out of the car seat; our baby road trip planner builds them into your route.